


Nighttime Adventure

by pyromanicofthesea



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, borderline domestic moments, it's a sweet cute little story if you read between the lines, jervis knows he has a problem but he can't stop it, you shouldn't lie to your partners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 09:22:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyromanicofthesea/pseuds/pyromanicofthesea
Summary: After having some fun with the Scarecrow, Jervis has a minor episode and Jonathan tries to deal with the aftermath.





	Nighttime Adventure

It was dark and he was desperate. He was an itch in the back of the other’s mind. A feeling in one’s throat that they could not cough out. Scarecrow had not gotten the satisfaction of frightening someone to death - quite literally - for the worst part of three months now. Jonathan, damn him, Jonathan, was trying to lay low after what happened last time. Which was none of his fault, he might add. Scarecrow certainly had nothing to do with the mishap. It hadn’t been _his_ friend who had left a clue behind. A rather easy clue to solve at that.  
And it was of that desperatism that the Scarecrow found himself in the forefront of Jonathan’s mind, leering down at the bastard who provoked him. The man begged for mercy, knowing full well who the mask belonged to. Someone to Scarecrow's left laughed. Not loudly, but audible enough to notice mixed in with the screams of the first man. A click, and the alleyway fell into a haze. The man shreaked, a shrill sound of fear that was music to Scarecrow's ears. The man couldn't move, a card had been nimbly placed on his ear. Then the card was removed, and the man ran. And then they went home. And Scarecrow was grinning from ear to ear.  
When the two returned to Jonathan’s apartment, Scarecrow had already given control back. Jervis was giggling and muttering conversations from Alice in Wonderland, though there was no real context and Jonathan was not indulging this time. Scarecrow wanted him to, wanted to see just how many rhymes Jervis could create, but Jonathan was tired. So, when they entered the apartment room, Jonathan fell asleep on the couch right after telling Jervis he was welcomed to the bed.  
Jervis sat alone as the weather of the night turned from clear to rough. The wind seemed to howl and whip in a matter of moments. He found Jonathan's piano, and he played a rugged tune that mimicked the blustering wind. Gotham never got tornados, but being by the sea meant winds would conjure up something fierce every so often. On these nights, he was glad to have already gotten the night's work finished.  
Jervis didn't notice the figure behind him until nibble figures played a companion melody on either side of the smaller man. Jervis was too far gone in the scene he saw before him to truly notice that he had woken Jonathan up. Instead he watched as the final climax of his precious Alice in Wonderland story unfolded before his eyes. But of course, his mind played ever a trick on him. And yet, it would seem as if the delusional man lived just outside of reality, where the mind triumphed over matter. It was his own little world, and there Jonathan was, adding to it with an accompanying tune.  
Naturally, though, the song had to end. The scene concluded. And Jervis noticed Jonathan towering over him. Looming. Stalking. Like a nightmarish Scarecrow. Jervis squeaked, terrified, as he should be.  
“I thought you were going to bed.” It hadn't been a question. Jonathan was asking what was he doing up.  
“My apologies if I woke you.” Jervis couldn't help but fear he had upset Jonathan with his playing. Jonathan ignored Jervis’ response.  
“Where'd you learn to play like that?” Jervis shrugged. Honestly speaking, he couldn't remember. Had he had lessons? Had he taught himself in his freetime? Jonathan didn't need to know he didn't remember. And Jonathan didn't press. He just took the shrug as the answer.  
Jervis muttered something quietly, and Jonathan tilted his head in response. He hadn't heard it. A moment later, a small “Alice?” was squeaked out from the small Hatter.  
“Ah, I'm afraid I am not. I am just Jonathan.” Jervis looked down; it was as if his entire form had sunk. He was in an episode. He had hoped his Alice had returned. Jonathan knew this, of course, and learned on one almost dangerous event that pretending to be the Alice Jervis was so desperate to find was worse than admitting one was not his Alice. “I can make you tea though, if you'd like. I do believe it is your Un-Birthday, Hatter.” Jervis lit up like a lightbulb.  
“It is, it is indeed, and a Happy Un-Birthday to me it will be! Tea would be wonderful, my dearest.” Jonathan left to make Jervis a cup of tea, and to his surprise he could hear Jervis begin to play another tune.  
Later that night, after tea and a botched attempt at baking, the two were warm in their bed. Though the thoughts that filled the room were not necessarily warm in nature.  
“I called you Alice again, didn’t I.”  
“You did.” A thick silence filled the room. Jonathan thought he heard a whimper, but he couldn’t be quite sure. All was still, silent, almost unnervingly so. Jervis finally spoke, breaking the suffocating lack of sound what felt like an eternity later. Though, what he said didn’t make things any better.  
“Am I going mad, Jon?” _Yes_ , Jonathan thought. _You already did, years ago_. But he didn’t say that. He couldn’t say that. It would be a cruel joke at Jervis’s expense, and as cold as Jonathan was, he wasn’t that heartless. So instead he sat in silence and thought for a moment, trying to come up with something to say that would help the situation.  
“I don’t know.”  
“But you’re a psychologist!”  
“Was.” The correction was bitter, more bitter than he had intended. Jervis flinched, Jonathan could feel it as the covers shifted. Oh how he’d love to hurt whoever made Jervis so flighty.  
“The knowledge and abilities don’t disappear if you lost your title.” Jonathan sighed, and Jervis continued on. “So tell me, _Doctor Crane_ , am I going mad?”  
“No.” It wasn’t technically a lie, and that’s what Jonathan told himself as Jervis hugged him tight and fell asleep with his head on Jonathan’s chest. It wasn’t a lie. You can’t be going mad if you had crossed the borderline into insanity years before. And that’s what Jonathan told himself as he drifted to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm considering continuing this as like, a non-cronological series of little stories involving these two. Let me know what all you lovely readers are interested in, and if that sounds like something you'd like to read. I'm open to requests for events, since I've got no idea what I want to write for these two next, if I do decide to make more unconnecting chapters.  
> Thanks for reading, stay wonderful!


End file.
